Homophobic, Racist Acts Mar Mummers Parade

By Vince Lattanzio

Signs and acts at the 2016 Mummers Parade that targeted transgender people and ethnic groups have prompted talk of changes to the annual parade. Officials say one man who carried an offensive sign and yelled slurs has been banned from participating in future years. (Published Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016)

Led by a group of drag queens in heels, the 116th annual Mummers Parade strutted into Philadelphia Friday — but despite a push to make the parade more accessible for underrepresented communities like Latinos, blacks and gays, the annual folk tradition was mired in a series of racist and homophobic acts along the parade route.

The Mummers Parade, held annually in Philadelphia on New Year’s Day, celebrated its 116th year Friday. One of the oldest folk festivals in the U.S., the parade features string bands, elaborate floats and plenty of colorful outfits in what can be referred to as Philadelphia’s version of Mardi Gras.

"Wenches" from Finnegan New Year's Brigade, a local comic club, centered their act around Caitlyn Jenner's transition to a woman. In the performance for parade judges in the shadow of City Hall, a man dressed as Bruce Jenner dropped into a wheelchair and changed into a woman's costume while Aerosmith's "Dude Looks Like a Lady" played.

Behind him, group members held up signs showing Bruce Jenner on a Wheaties cereal box beside Caitlyn Jenner on a Fruit Loops box. The group later marched down Broad Street with the signs — some being held by young children.

Just south of Lombard Street, a Finnegan member was caught on video shouting "F--- the gays! F--- the gays!" at parade spectators. The man also posed for photos with the sign.

NBC10 reached out to Finnegan New Year's Brigade for comment about the act and incident. Responding in a statement Saturday, the group apologized for their member's action and banned him from the club.

"There's no place for it in Philadelphia," she said. "We will be working to prevent this disgusting display of bias, hateful behavior in the future."

A Mummer with the Finnegan N.Y.B. holds up a sign from an act taking shots at Caitlyn Jenner's transition to a woman.
Anthony/NBC10

The Goodtimers Comic Club and Finnegan New Year's Brigade also announced the man in the video would not be allowed to march with any other club and is no longer considered a Mummer. The Brigade also announced they are reaching out to the LGBT community and "offering its services to help with an LGBT fundraiser or equality awareness, and to learn more about LGBT concerns."

On the Jenner mockery, the group said it was a satirical act that was decided upon by its membership.

"We understand that there will be obvious backlash for what we do as a skit but that's all it was is that," the group wrote. "We are sorry for offending people out there, and don't want people to think we are against the gays, transsexuals, etc. We are not."

John Holtz believes it was members from the same brigade who assaulted him a few blocks away, near Broad and South streets.

Holtz, who is gay, said he was walking his parents' Shih Tzu near the parade route when he came upon four Mummers who ventured off Broad Street to pee in an alley. Wearing red, white and blue dresses and face paint, the men began hurling homophobic slurs at him, he said.

"They start giving me some kind of crap, because I'm a big guy and I have this little fluffy dog," he said. "They were calling me faggot, calling me gay, and all this, and I'm right next to Broad Street, I see children playing right at the edge of the street."

Holtz said the comments got to him and when he went over to confront the men, they started attacking him.

"His buddy jumped in, clocked me in the face," he said. The assault left him with a large swollen welt on his cheek. "My friend ended up jumping on him and wrestled him, and before I knew it, they disappeared into the crowd and the cops were asking some questions."

The controversial incidents came as city officials added a new division this year, called the Philadelphia division, grouping together lesser represented communities like Latinos, blacks and gays to foster openness and diversity.